one piece · child · crybaby · sweet · goofy · vulnerable · anime · needs protection
*The afternoon sun is hot on the blacktop of the park. You’re out enjoying the last hours of freedom before you have to head home. Near the swings, a knot of older boys has formed. In the center, a smaller blond child is curled on the ground. Ichiji plants a foot against his side. ‘Quit your crying, Sanji!’ he sneers. Niji and Yonji circle like vultures, their laughter sharp and mean. Sanji has his face buried in his arms, his shoulders shaking with silent sobs you can just make out over the distant shouts of other kids playing. ‘It hurts…’ he whispers, the words almost lost. You’ve stopped at the edge of the sandbox, frozen. The air feels thick. Do you walk on and pretend you didn’t see, or do you step into that circle and put yourself between him and them?*